My answer is kind of "yes and no". There are some good books in here, but almost all of the books are about completely different programming languages, and that's not going to be necessary or...
My answer is kind of "yes and no". There are some good books in here, but almost all of the books are about completely different programming languages, and that's not going to be necessary or helpful when you're just trying to start learning.
Unless there's a specific book/language that you really want, I would say that it's probably not worth buying. While I'm not familiar with all of these books, at least some of the ones that I recognize are already completely free to download.
For example, Automate the Boring Stuff with Python (which is supposed to be a good introductory book with real-world applications) is free here: https://automatetheboringstuff.com/
The author of it also has several other free introductory books with different themes, if something else is more interesting to you: https://inventwithpython.com/
Happen to know anything about Python Crash Course in the $15 dollar tier? Might get it just for that seeing as the eBook is $23 on Amazon and looks to be the type of book I'm looking for.
I've never heard of it, but the reviews look quite good. If the money isn't a concern I don't think it could hurt to pick it up (and some of the other books might be useful too). The bundle runs...
I've never heard of it, but the reviews look quite good. If the money isn't a concern I don't think it could hurt to pick it up (and some of the other books might be useful too). The bundle runs for two weeks, so you could also try getting started with Automate the Boring Stuff and see how you're feeling about it, then decide whether to buy it based on that.
Ah, thank you! I was interested because of the Python books, especially just grabbing the $1 tier for 'Automate the Boring Stuff' as that is what I'm interested in learning right now to try to get...
Ah, thank you! I was interested because of the Python books, especially just grabbing the $1 tier for 'Automate the Boring Stuff' as that is what I'm interested in learning right now to try to get some basic understanding.
I read a lot of automate the boring stuff with python and I think I finished 'the Linux command line'. I think automate the boring stuff is a good resource for beginners. The Linux command line...
I read a lot of automate the boring stuff with python and I think I finished 'the Linux command line'.
I think automate the boring stuff is a good resource for beginners. The Linux command line helped me with using Linux for sure but you don't really need it to learn programming.
The gold standard for learning programming is a formal programming course where someone is there to structure what you're learning and to give you feedback on how you are doing. The silver...
The gold standard for learning programming is a formal programming course where someone is there to structure what you're learning and to give you feedback on how you are doing. The silver standard is MIT's opencourseware.
To add to the ones that others have pointed out can be found for free, Learn You A Haskell is available free here: http://learnyouahaskell.com/ I had to work with Haskell recently and it was nice...
To add to the ones that others have pointed out can be found for free, Learn You A Haskell is available free here: http://learnyouahaskell.com/
I had to work with Haskell recently and it was nice for getting the basics down, but Haskell probably isn't a great place to start if you're just beginning with programming.
I absolutely agree. Imperative languages are far easier to grasp because they work in a way that's similar--although far more granular--to the way that humans do. Functional programming requires a...
Haskell probably isn't a great place to start if you're just beginning with programming.
I absolutely agree. Imperative languages are far easier to grasp because they work in a way that's similar--although far more granular--to the way that humans do. Functional programming requires a far different paradigm and is way more restrictive in nature. Better to work at understanding the basics of programming within a flexible environment before placing so many restrictions on yourself.
Definitely. Something like Python or C would be a much better place to start since they're a lot more intuitive for most folks. Although, I suppose if you had a heavy mathematical background, a...
Definitely. Something like Python or C would be a much better place to start since they're a lot more intuitive for most folks. Although, I suppose if you had a heavy mathematical background, a functional language might not feel too foreign.
Yes, those with heavy math backgrounds are definitely the possible exception to the rule. They've already learned to think in terms of compositions of functions, so it likely wouldn't be too much...
Yes, those with heavy math backgrounds are definitely the possible exception to the rule. They've already learned to think in terms of compositions of functions, so it likely wouldn't be too much of a transition.
I can't say for certain, though. I'd be interested in seeing if there's a significant difference in how people adapt to different programming languages based on their professional and/or academic backgrounds.
No Starch Press is a wonderful publisher, every book of theirs I’ve read had been of very high quality. I’m not sure about beginners specifically, but there are some great books in this bundle,...
No Starch Press is a wonderful publisher, every book of theirs I’ve read had been of very high quality.
I’m not sure about beginners specifically, but there are some great books in this bundle, especially for the price.
"Clojure for the Brave and True: Learn the Ultimate Language and Become a Better Programmer" is in the bundle, I can recommend it to anyone who wants Lisp. It's really cool.
"Clojure for the Brave and True: Learn the Ultimate Language and Become a Better Programmer" is in the bundle, I can recommend it to anyone who wants Lisp. It's really cool.
My answer is kind of "yes and no". There are some good books in here, but almost all of the books are about completely different programming languages, and that's not going to be necessary or helpful when you're just trying to start learning.
Unless there's a specific book/language that you really want, I would say that it's probably not worth buying. While I'm not familiar with all of these books, at least some of the ones that I recognize are already completely free to download.
For example, Automate the Boring Stuff with Python (which is supposed to be a good introductory book with real-world applications) is free here: https://automatetheboringstuff.com/
The author of it also has several other free introductory books with different themes, if something else is more interesting to you: https://inventwithpython.com/
Another of the useful ones is The Linux Command Line, and it's free here: http://linuxcommand.org/tlcl.php
Happen to know anything about Python Crash Course in the $15 dollar tier?
Might get it just for that seeing as the eBook is $23 on Amazon and looks to be the type of book I'm looking for.
I've never heard of it, but the reviews look quite good. If the money isn't a concern I don't think it could hurt to pick it up (and some of the other books might be useful too). The bundle runs for two weeks, so you could also try getting started with Automate the Boring Stuff and see how you're feeling about it, then decide whether to buy it based on that.
Ah, thank you! I was interested because of the Python books, especially just grabbing the $1 tier for 'Automate the Boring Stuff' as that is what I'm interested in learning right now to try to get some basic understanding.
Good to find out it's free!
I read a lot of automate the boring stuff with python and I think I finished 'the Linux command line'.
I think automate the boring stuff is a good resource for beginners. The Linux command line helped me with using Linux for sure but you don't really need it to learn programming.
The gold standard for learning programming is a formal programming course where someone is there to structure what you're learning and to give you feedback on how you are doing. The silver standard is MIT's opencourseware.
To add to the ones that others have pointed out can be found for free, Learn You A Haskell is available free here: http://learnyouahaskell.com/
I had to work with Haskell recently and it was nice for getting the basics down, but Haskell probably isn't a great place to start if you're just beginning with programming.
I absolutely agree. Imperative languages are far easier to grasp because they work in a way that's similar--although far more granular--to the way that humans do. Functional programming requires a far different paradigm and is way more restrictive in nature. Better to work at understanding the basics of programming within a flexible environment before placing so many restrictions on yourself.
Definitely. Something like Python or C would be a much better place to start since they're a lot more intuitive for most folks. Although, I suppose if you had a heavy mathematical background, a functional language might not feel too foreign.
Yes, those with heavy math backgrounds are definitely the possible exception to the rule. They've already learned to think in terms of compositions of functions, so it likely wouldn't be too much of a transition.
I can't say for certain, though. I'd be interested in seeing if there's a significant difference in how people adapt to different programming languages based on their professional and/or academic backgrounds.
FWIW I think learn you a Haskell is fairly disliked by the Haskell community.
Ah, I wasn't aware of that. I had it recommended to me when I started, but I'm not too into Haskell or its community.
No Starch Press is a wonderful publisher, every book of theirs I’ve read had been of very high quality.
I’m not sure about beginners specifically, but there are some great books in this bundle, especially for the price.
"Clojure for the Brave and True: Learn the Ultimate Language and Become a Better Programmer" is in the bundle, I can recommend it to anyone who wants Lisp. It's really cool.
I can also vouch that this is a good book and that Clojure is a good language. However, it's worth noting that the book is available free online at https://www.braveclojure.com/clojure-for-the-brave-and-true/